Karen (orangutan) facts for kids
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| Other name(s) | Kare-Bear |
|---|---|
| Species | Sumatran orangutan |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | June 11, 1992 San Diego Zoo |
| Known for | First orangutan to have open heart surgery (1994) |
| Residence | San Diego Zoo |
| Parent(s) | Karta (mother) Otis (father) |
Karen (born June 11, 1992) is a Sumatran orangutan. She made history on August 27, 1994, at the San Diego Zoo. Karen was the first orangutan ever to have open heart surgery. Later, in 2021, she was also one of the first non-human animals to get a vaccine for COVID-19.
Sumatran orangutans are a critically endangered species. At the time, doctors were already doing open heart surgery on human babies. The San Diego Zoo worked with UC San Diego Health to plan Karen's surgery. She was two years old and had a large hole in her heart. More than 100 volunteers helped with the operation and her care afterward. The surgery was a big success and became very famous. Karen lived for more than 25 years after her operation.
Karen is even the star of a book! It's called Karen’s Heart: The True Story of a Brave Baby Orangutan. Georgeanne Irvine wrote it, and Blue Sneaker Press published it in 2018.
Contents
Why Karen Needed Heart Surgery
Wild Sumatran orangutans are in great danger of disappearing. In the 1970s, a scientist named Kurt Benirschke from UC San Diego Health (UCSD) helped the zoo start a research department. This department, called the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species, helped the university and the zoo work together.
Orangutan hearts are very similar to human hearts. By the time Karen needed help, open heart surgery had become a common procedure for human babies. This made it possible for doctors to consider the same surgery for Karen.
Karen's Early Life and Family
Karen, sometimes called "Kare-Bear," was born at the San Diego Zoo on June 11, 1992. Her mother was Karta, who was nine years old, and her father was Otis.
After 1995, Karen's mother, Karta, had six more babies over 15 years. Sadly, these babies either were stillborn or couldn't nurse properly. Because of this, they didn't grow well.
Animal keepers noticed that Karen wasn't being nursed by Karta in her first few days. So, they took Karen away to care for her. When they tried to put her back with Karta, nothing changed. Karen was then raised by humans. Karta was later moved to the Adelaide Zoo in November 1992. Another orangutan named Josephine adopted Karen.
When Karen was two years old, a health check-up showed she had a heart murmur. This was after keepers noticed she wasn't growing as fast as she should. Tests then confirmed she had a hole in her heart about the size of a penny. Karen weighed about 22 pounds at the time. Doctors believed she would not survive without surgery to fix her heart.
Karen's Life-Saving Heart Surgery
A team of doctors, led by cardiothoracic surgeon Stuart W. Jamieson from UCSD, performed the surgery. They opened Karen's chest and heart to stitch the hole closed. Even though Karen's chest was a bit different from a human's, the surgeons felt comfortable once they were inside.
The entire operation took seven hours. Many people worked together, including surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists, medical technicians, veterinarians, and animal keepers. Dr. Jamieson said, "If Karen were human, I'd tell her parents that everything went fine, and her prognosis is excellent." This made Karen the very first orangutan to have open heart surgery.
After the surgery, Karen needed very careful care. Over 100 volunteers helped look after her. She had a lung problem, but it was treated successfully. Karen's story made headlines, and she received "get well" cards from all over the world!
Life After Surgery and Her Personality
After her amazing surgery, Karen became a favorite with visitors at the zoo. People describe her as "stubborn and willful," just like her mom. She even has a special way of moving: she rolls instead of walking!
Karen gets along well with siamang gibbons, even though orangutans and gibbons are not usually housed together.
In 2018, a book about Karen's incredible journey was published. It's called Karen’s Heart: The True Story of a Brave Baby Orangutan.
Karen Receives a COVID-19 Vaccine
Karen was one of the first non-human animals in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This was another important moment in her life, showing how much care and science goes into protecting endangered species.
See also
- Ken Allen
- List of individual apes
